If the people of Miskolc want developments and investments, if they want to implement the plans that already exist, “then we should cooperate” and “Miskolc should try to remain on the winning side,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on the programme of the local television ‘Miskolc Diary’ at the Borsod county seat on Tuesday.

He stated that a prime minister should take part in a campaign if the intention is to draw attention to nation-wide issues. “This is not the case now,” they wish to draw the people’s attention to the fact that “it is important to find suitable candidates for offices in the city’s bodies, and to find a suitable mayor,” he said.

He took the view that he can add little to this because the candidates are known locally; “decisions should be made more on the basis of personal and local experience, rather than – let’s put it this way – on the basis of my comments of a political nature,” he added.

Mr Orbán highlighted that he visited the city nonetheless because Miskolc is an important city, “it is a matter of honour” that he should be there. He supports Zoltán Alakszai, the candidate for mayor of Fidesz-KDNP, and he recommends him “wholeheartedly”. It is good to have a candidate who “comes home” to Miskolc; one can trust more a person who has not remained in the city because he had no other option, but because this was his choice, he said.

The Prime Minister described the mayoral candidate as a lively person who is “full of energy” and a candidate one can work together with.

However, the main reason why he came to visit Miskolc is that he is indebted to the previous mayor, Ákos Kriza with whom he has worked together for a long time, Mr Orbán said. The previous mayor “has done a fantastic job” in the city, and his efforts will now start bearing fruit, he added. He stressed that he is fighting to ensure that “his legacy is not squandered”. We must not allow “this city to be turned into an opposition headquarters, and the hard work of previous years to fall victim to party battles”.

The Prime Minister asked the people of Miskolc “to continue the work which we started with Mayor Ákos Kriza”. Mr Kriza has tidied the place up, has given tourism a boost, and there are plans for the transformation of transport in the city, meaning that “major results have been achieved,” he pointed out.

He said one of the greatest results of the past few years is that the city leadership has managed to bring investments to the city which have created new jobs. In his view, another major achievement is that “public security has doubled,” meaning that the number of crimes has fallen to one half, and Miskolc has become an orderly city.

Mr Orbán highlighted that “if the city has a mayor that I can cooperate with, we will most definitely be able to implement the projects which will make the city not only safe, but also beautiful”. Most of the plans are already in place, and the image and atmosphere of Miskolc could improve dynamically in the coming years, he said.

The Prime Minister also said the people of Miskolc have two options, “they can do what the opposition proposes; if that is what the people choose, it will be so.” In accordance with the policy of Democratic Coalition (DK), they will fight against the government. At the same time, Mr Orbán recommended that “rather than fighting against one another, we should fight for the city together”. In order to do so, however, the city needs a mayor who will cooperate with the government in the city’s best interests, he added.

He took the view that “a DK opposition mayor will necessarily act as the government’s enemy”. They want to impose the idea on the logic of the elections that, instead of local affairs, developments and the interests of the locals, they should fight a major political battle, he said. He stressed that if we want developments, investments and jobs, if we want to implement the plans we already have, “then we should cooperate” and “Miskolc should try to remain on the winning side.

The Prime Minister stated that he is committed to Miskolc, the people living there and the future mayor, “provided that he does not want to fight against me,” but will seek to cooperate in the interests of the locals. “Each and every vote counts, and the people of Miskolc have the future of their city in their hands,” he said.

(MTI)